One of the reasons I have been very excited to get the WBX transceiver daughterboard for the USRP is that with one single RF board I can have a full duplex transceiver covering both the 2 m and 70 cm amateur radio bands. This is where most of the amateur radio satellite traffic takes place, including FM, SSB, CW and packet, though modulation is really not an issue when we have a software defined radio transceiver implemented in the GNU Radio framework.
In order to use the WBX transceiver for this purpose, I need to add low noise preamplifiers (LNA) in front of the receiver and power amplifiers (PA) to boost the output of the transmitter. I need them for both bands, since some satellites are in V/U mode, others in U/V mode. Using the usual single-band devices is not optimal, because it would require 4 external devices and a bunch of wiring and switching. That could become too expensive. Therefore, I was looking for devices that cover both bands.
I have often seen wide band LNAs and PAs that would cover both bands and much more; however, I was slightly surprised to find one box that contains both LNA and PA for 2 m and 70 cm – and can even work in full duplex! This is the Microset VUR-30 which is available from Wimo.
Pros:
- Dual band (144-148 and 430-440 MHz)
- Full duplex
- NF 1 dB on vhf, 1.2 dB on UHF
- 30W RF out
- Built-in duplexer?
- 256 euros
Cons:
- Requires 1W input. The WBX can give up to 100mW. Hope it will work at reduced output without needing a buffer amplifier between the WBX and the VUR-30.
For some reason I can not find much details about the VUR-30, not even a photo of the rear end to see how it connects to the radio and antennas (one or two connectors, etc.). But from the brief specs and the front photo it looks promising and the price is low enough so that I can just go ahead and buy one.